Director of Student Activities Lauren (Susong) Fontarum ’15 was honored June 6, 2015 on the 10th anniversary of being crowned Miss Kansas Outstanding Teen in 2005. Fontarum was invited to the 2015 pageant in Pratt, Kan., where she performed and was recognized by the Miss Kansas organization.

Fontarum was a senior at Wellington (Kan.) High School when she won the second Miss Kansas Outstanding Teen pageant. She became the first recipient of the crown to attend the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant.

At the time of her crowning, Fontarum’s career goal was musical theatre (she won the talent portion of the pageant by singing “Gimme Gimme” from “Thoroughly Modern Millie.”). She worked in several Wichita theatre groups and began college interested in a music theatre major, although she eventually switched to communications.

“I realized quickly that singing was going to be a hobby for me and not a profession,” Fontarum said.

…and today.

Fontarum said music theatre is still important in her life, and that she has found ways to “marry” the aspects of performance with her current career working with students.

“For lack of a better word, they are my audience now,” she said. “But it’s also turned around to where they’re learning something and they’re going to – if I can carry on the analogy – carry the show on into the future.”

In addition to the anniversary, Fontarum has achieved a few other milestones in the past year: In May 2015 she received her Master of Science in Education degree from Newman University. In January 2016, she was married.